All Good Things Must End
by The Sleeping Man
Summary: Ten years since the Mushroom War, Marceline is forced to fend for herself and find a way to survive the dangers of inherent to life in wasteland that would eventually become Ooo. When she arrives in the Kingdom of Salvation, she believes that she can finally attain her deepest desires but as the line between friend and foe is blurred, Marceline is forced to decide who to trust.
1. Faded Memories of Yesterday

"I would give anything to return to the dream world of yesterday if I could escape the nightmare that is today," Marceline thought as she stared up at the pale grey sky. "Each day that passes by, the world seems to descend ever deeper into hell," She sighed as her stomach growled fiercely. She had made camp on top of a decrepit department store in order to avoid the packs of mutants lurking in the city. This was a good defensive strategy but it left her vulnerable in the way of scavenging for resources. It had been a very disappointing summer which yielded very little in the way of resources and now it was shaping to be an absolutely dreadful winter. There was already a chill in the air and she was tempted to break apart an old piece of bamboo which she found in a rundown furniture store for firewood. However, the bamboo proved itself invaluable as staff and now served as her primary source of protection. She was barely able to scrape together enough food to make it through the summer months which left her unprepared for the winter that was drawing ever closer. The war had ended almost ten years ago, but ash still blanketed the city like snow and gave the sky its grey complexion. Simon used say this was called a 'Nuclear Winter' because the bombs, that the old nations used to destroy each other, altered the world on a fundamental level. Winter was twice as long as it used to be and a "good" summer would be two months of inconsistent sunlight. Scavenging and foraging for food and supplies would be much harder during this time because the sun barely showed its face from beyond the ash laden clouds. Even with these hardships, she found life was very tenacious when it came to survival. There were quite a few humans who made it through the war and set up settlements throughout the waste. In order to survive, she would have to locate one and rely on the charity of strangers, who could barely feed themselves. Nevertheless, charity was hard to come by these days. Most of the settlements were poor and small with everyone basically looking out for themselves. It was even harder for those who looked even slightly different from the "normal" people. Those in the settlements were extremely xenophobic and would typically attack Marceline on the belief that she was a mutant due to her grey skin and pointed ears, which were "gifts" from her father. Thankfully, Simon was usually able to calm the situation down before things got violent but this meant he also shared in the abuse that was directed at her. The belief that he would always be there for her made life a little more bearable. This thought seemed stupid to her now that he was gone and she was forced to hide most of her face, whenever she would barter or beg.

"He always knew what to do " Marceline's eyes welled up with tears as she journeyed back to when she was young and Simon was there to protect her. "Simon is gone and he is never coming back" She fought to suppress her memories of him which kept haunting her like phantom stirring painful emotions deep inside of her. She quickly wiped away her tears and dashed those thoughts from her head. She could no longer cry, she was a grown up now and had to act like one. Marceline crawled over to her duffel bag and pulled out her old friend, Hambo. The old stuffed monkey had seen better days. Its once bright red fur was now faded and their adventures together had left scars on his body. She may have been grown now but she could never him throw away. Hambo was the only friend, Marceline had left in the world, and he helped cheer her up whenever she was down. With his help, her mind shifted away from Simon to something more pleasant, sweets.

Marceline would give away all her belongings...but Hambo for a slice of cake, fresh baked cookies, or even a single piece of candy. Memories of sweets and treats, from before the Mushroom War, danced in her head but thse were only distant memories. The last time, she even tasted chocolate, was over seven years ago, and she could barely remember the taste now. She imagined the huge chocolate cake, her mom baked for her sixth birthday. She was pretending to eat her 3rd slice when a low groan intruded on these fantasies. It was midday and the mutants were beginning to get restless after warming their cold blood near the pools of radioactive waste. Marceline had sealed the door to her hideout on the roof with a sticky pink rubber-like goo, she called "gum", which was scattered throughout the city. However, she became too comfortable and spent too much time in one location. The sound of the mutant's moans were getting louder and acted as a signal drawing more to its location as it banged violently against the door. Marceline shoved Hambo back into her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. She had created a rope from linen and extension cord for this sort of emergency. She had secured the rope to an old air duct and was tying the other end around her waist when the mutants breached the door.

Years ago, the mutants were much easier to deal with or simply outrun. They were a mindless mob of monsters that attacked anything that moved with relentless aggression. Although they were still easy enough to handle one at a time, they usually traveled in groups which enabled them to overwhelm their prey before it could escape. Over the years, this pack mentality began to develop and evolve into what could be considered intelligent behavior. They had the capability to communicate with one another and they could form complex strategies in order to attack and capture their prey. The radioactive green slime that continually oozed from the openings in their bodies could melt flesh from bone. This same ooze ran just underneath their skin and made them virtually difficult to harm without putting yourself in danger. They lacked anything resembling an eye, a nose, or even a mouth yet they managed to track people down. Their distorted forms made it impossible to tell if they were ever human. As a little girl, they gave her nightmares and every strange noise made her jump at the possibility that it was a mutant ambush. After so many years of living around them, she no longer feared them like she use to, in fact part of her felt sorry for them. They were trapped in a dark unfamiliar world and they always seemed to be in pain. Those feelings aside, she knew that if given the chance, they would probably tear her limb from limb.

About ten had made it through the gap in the door and were trying to encircle her. Marceline grabbed her staff and gave any that tried to rush her, a good whack on the head. Unfortunately this was not a permanent solution as they inched closer and forced her to the edge of the roof top. She looked over to ensure it was clear descent. As another mutant lunged at her, Marceline tossed aside any second thoughts and threw herself over the edge while grasping onto the rope for dear life. The mutant managed to grab her by the duffel bag but a quick jab with her staff, forced it to let her go. The improvised rope held as Marceline's full weight tested the limits of its strength but it was way too short to reach the ground.

"Crap!" She screamed and cursed at her wasted effort. She was stuck in limbo between the mutants above her and the neglected street below. She was located on the roof of a seven story building which made a relatively defensible and safe location to rest but she had made the possibly fatal mistake of not having a foolproof escape plan. Even after gathering all the usable linen, cable, and extension cord left in the store, she was only able to reach the fifth floor. Marceline felt a hard tug upward on the rope and then another as the mutants slowly began to pull her back up. Now left with only one viable option for escape, she took out a small pocket knife and cut her lifeline which gave way easily. As she plummeted toward the street below, she corrected her body by putting feet beneath her and fell onto a convenient piece of outstretched goo that stretched between the department store and a neighboring building. This managed to slow her down a bit but not enough to stop her momentum. She ripped through it landed feet first on the hard pavement causing cracks to form in the pavement and sending a recoil of sharp pain from her legs to her head. This intense pain almost caused her to almost scream in agony but Marceline quickly held her hands tightly over her mouth and suppressed the urge. She looked up at the height, she fell from, at the mutants who trying their hardest to figure out where she went. "It's times like these, I thank God that I am half demon," The "gum" may have slowed her fall but it was her demonic genes that allowed her to survive the almost suicidal jump with only a few bones and a cracked fang that would quickly heal. Marceline had barely enough time to catch her breath when a mutant wiggled its way out of an abandoned car. "You must be the runt of the litter" She taunted. It was much smaller than the others and probably left as a sentry by the group that attacked her to guard her corpse in case; she chose suicide instead of being devoured alive. Its vacant sockets dribbled out ooze as it slanted its head to the side similar to a puzzled dog. "You must be surprised that I am still alive." She swept the mutant's legs out from underneath him and slammed her staff down upon its knees crippling it. She then stared down at the mutant as it struggled to stand. Her stomach started to growl violently like it was objecting to this massive expenditure of energy without any feasible reward. She continued to stare at the helpless creature as a drool freed itself from the corner of her mouth. "You are so lucky, I can't eat you," She mumbled under breath. Marceline would probably have eaten the mutant but she did not want to push the healing abilities. At the moment, she had to put as much distance between her and the store before more mutants arrived. With the nearest settlement was at least 2 days away by foot, Marceline had to soothe her aching stomach and make it to the outskirts of the vacant city before hunger or mutants got to her. Thankfully, there was one good thing about the winter,… the mutants would be much less active.


	2. The Mask of Prosperity

This story takes place long before the events of the TV show. Most of the characters are either extras, ancestors, or previous incarnations of characters from the show. Also I obviously do not own Adventure Time which is copyrighted by Cartoon Network.

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Less than a day after Marceline escaped from the department store, she had already begun to regret her decision to not eat the mutant. She had wandered aimlessly though a forest of petrified trees and only managed to get herself hopelessly lost. Her luck finally seemed to turn itself around after she noticed four pillars of black smoke rising in the distance. By following the smell of smoke and manure, she struggled her way through the wastes while using her staff as a walking stick to the rusted steel walls constructed from old cars and held together by the same strange pink goo, she found in the city, "gum". She could not help but fall to her knees and kiss the ground. Her stomach began to growl softly. "Just a little while longer," She patted her belly which responded with an almost joyous gurgle. Above the main gate was a decaying wooden sign with the dull green words "Welcome to the Free City of Prosper," sloppily painted upon it. Marceline had come across "cities" like Prosper before, which were usually just small villages with barely fifty people that were over exaggerating their status. However as Marceline looked upon Prosper, she felt it was one of the few settlements that actually fit its name. It was far smaller than the megacities that were around before the war but it was huge in comparison to the settlements. Prosper was a small yet thriving city with streets lined evenly by white gravel leading to the town square at its center. The only thing that unsettled Marceline about the city was the fact that every house and storefront incorporated the "gum" and whatever else was lying around into its construction. This method of architecture gave the city an almost chaotic appearance which mixed the green and brown of the corroded copper and rusty steel with the hot pink of the "gum". Simon use to tell her to stay away from the "gum" because it gave him the willies. He even told her not eat it or even touch it despite its sickeningly sweet aroma. Although she was close to starvation on multiple occasions, she obeyed his words of advice and only used to the "gum" when it was absolutely necessary. After seeing how much "gum", the people of Prosper had integrated into their city; she was beginning to wonder if this was one of those rare times when Simon may have been wrong.

Outside the walls were fields of wilting corn that were being harvested and several tall pyres of scorched wood which the citizens probably set ablaze going the summer to ward off any curious mutants and mask the smell of city. Two neat rows of guards dressed in faded blue rags and poorly made armor eyed Marceline suspiciously with their guns drawn from each side of the gate. The guns were probably just for show because they were ineffective against mutants and were used sparsely against roving bandits and marauders. Marceline could not help but feel she was in trouble. She suddenly broke out into a cold sweat at the realization that in her haste to reach the next town and her next meal, she had forgotten to cover her face. There was a loud whistle and more guards seemed to appear out of nowhere. Each of them was armed and tightly grasping their weapons. A rather large man with a red thick red beard mixed intermittently with strands of grey and dressed in a dirty purple robe emerged from a small hut positioned against the wall. He walked with his head held high and a stony grimace etched across his stern face. He had an air of confidence about like he was an unshakeable force of nature. When the man drew his sword, the tension that Marceline felt in the air was almost palpable. "Does he think I am a mutant? Is he going to attack me? What am I supposed to do? "Marceline could have easily made the first move but she could not take on this many armed guards by herself and expect to get away in one piece. She also had the option to run but if the guns were loaded, she would not have made it very far. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs "I am not a mutant!" but the words refuse to escape her lips due to sheer fright.

"My name is Eugene Martens," His voice boomed like thunder and shook Marceline to her core. "As the Mayor of the city of Prosper, General of her army, and the appointed Defender of the legacy of Mankind…," His cold blue eyes stared down upon her like a snake eyeing a mouse. "I hereby …surrender,"

"Wait…What?" Marceline could not believe what just she heard. Of all the outcomes, she had expected, this one never crossed her mind as even being possible. From that point onward, this city only seemed to get weirder and weirder to Marceline. Eugene was now on his knees presenting his sword to her. Her confusion only became greater when she saw that the legion of guards had followed his example by throwing down their weapons, dropping to their knees, and bowing to her. "Ummm…I think you have me mistaken…" She started but was only interrupted by Eugene.

"Madam Emissary, please show my people mercy and take us under the wings of the Glorious Kingdom of Salvation?" He pleaded in a voice that seemed more like a command and not giving Marceline a chance to explain. "We have prepared a feast for your arrival in celebration of our annexation," Her ears almost perked upward at the mention of a feast. In spite of her brain's desire to protest this unwarranted luxury, her stomach would not let ruin an opportunity for free food. Her demeanor quickly changed as she struck a defined pose and turned her nose upward at the groveling yet terrifying man.

"Stand up, peon, you shame yourself," She spoke with haughty voice in order to pass herself off as a member of the elite. "I will take your pleas into consideration after we have taken part in your commoners' feast and please call me, Marcel… Lady Marceline," Eugene rose from his knees and the guards followed suit. The tense atmosphere turned into one that seemed almost jubilant. The city seemed to erupt in celebration as the cheers of the guards echoed through the empty city at the possibility that Marceline would lead them to Salvation. They then proceeded toward the town square but Marceline was left behind. She was too weak to walk any further and being so close to finally eating, had relieved her of her will to go any further. "Wait!" She shouted with last of her strength and causing the joyous march to stop. "You do not expect me, the benevolent emissary of salvation, to walk, do you?" She said still keeping up with the charade while putting most of her weight on her staff. Eugene quickly ran over and lifted her on to his wide shoulders. Marceline wondered if she could have gotten them to call her 'Princess or Queen Marceline' instead she concluded that would have been pushing it a little too far.

"I am sorry, my lady Marceline, we beg your forgiveness" He pleaded but Marceline was too weak to protest. Her head was getting lighter and she felt like she would pass out if she did not eat soon. Simon probably would have looked down upon her for resorting to lies and trickery to survive but he was not around anymore and she had to do whatever it took to survive.

"These idiots get what they deserve if they mistake me for some emissary of a kingdom," She reasoned to herself. "These people were in the wastes a little too long and probably went crazy." Either from hunger or pure exhaustion, she failed to notice of anything wrong about her situation. The city of Prosper looked like it was built to fit hundreds of people but only fifty guards were here celebrating. If she had looked toward the merchant stalls and decrepit houses that lined the street she would have noticed the stalls were closed with no wares in sight and the curtains to the houses were pulled to not let anyone see into them. She would have seen that despite their appearance, the homes were occupied as a few people nervously took peeks outside their windows as she passed by. Most alarming of all, she would have noticed that she was being stalked by a strange figure lurking in the shadows and watching her every move. However, at the moment, the only thoughts flowing through her mind were of delicious food quelling the revolt in her angry stomach.

Marceline was a little disappointed with the so-called "feast", she was promised. The food was laid out on a long, solid wooden table covered by an off-white table cloth and a wide array of mismatched chairs. Marceline's chair was by far the biggest and placed at the far end of the table while Eugene's chair was place at the other. Unfortunately, this was where any resemblance to a feast ended because the food was limited to only overripe fruits, moldy vegetables, seven loaves of hard bread, and a single thin chicken that was slightly overcooked. It was more of a feast for the flies that circled overhead than for the people in attendance. Yet, this initial disappointment did not stop her from stuffing her face with loads of food as the guards looked on awestruck by such a small, thin figure consuming half food placed on the table in a matter of seconds. In most situations, the food may not have been particularly good but in this single instance, Marceline thought that the grainy rock like bread and dry chicken was the best dinner, she ever tasted as she shoved more food into her ravenous gullet. The only problem was that they forgot to pour her something to drink. She stopped eating for a moment and clapped her hands. The whole square became eerily quiet as everyone waited for her next word.

"Mm huqire sumtang ta…" She proclaimed while sending pieces of half chewed bread onto her neighbor's plate. Due to her mouth being full, no one could make out what she was saying. Marceline then spat her food out back on her plate and wiped her mouth with the table cloth. "I thank you for your hospitality but I now require something to drink," She stated clearly in her most refined sounding voice before retaking her seat. The silence continued awkwardly as Marceline wondered if she overstayed her welcome.

"Ar…are you su..sure, Lady Marceline?" Eugene stuttered nervously from the far end of great table. "We are sorry about the food but this was all that we had left in the city after sending our tributes for acceptance, "Eugene slowly got up and walked over to Marceline. His voice no longer boomed like that of the proud warrior, she assumed he was instead he had a much more diminished appearance to the point that he simply looked desperate and pathetic. "Would you please reconsider?"

"What is wrong with you people?" She demanded slamming her palms down upon the table. "I asked for something to drink and I expect it now!" Everyone in the square flinched and a few people fell out their chairs. "Maybe I took this a little too far, I mean technically I am a freeloader," She thought as she looked at the hardened soldiers who were now acting like frightened deer caught in one of her traps. She was about to apologize when Eugene fell to ground next to her chair with his face in the dirt.

"I beg your forgiveness, Lady Marceline," He groveled "I will fetch worthy of your precious taste buds," He rose from the ground with mud from the dirt and sweat dripping from his forehead. "Bring her out!" He commanded with a force that seemed to make the buildings shake. A pair of guards led a young woman out of the house that was positioned behind her chair. She wore a patchy dress that looked like it was made by someone who sewed worse than Marceline. Her hands were bound behind her back and her long blond hair drooped over her face as she did not even bother to look up at Marceline. Eugene sobbed as he pulled out a dagger and approached the bound woman. "This…is Fionna,…my only daughter…my only child," Marceline was confused by what was happening, why would this man tie up his own child. She ground her fangs together in agitation. This was not how a father should treat his own child. He grabbed Fionna by her hair so that she was now facing Marceline. Her eyes were red and swollen like she had been crying for a long time and her mouth was gagged. Eugene's hand shook as he raised the dagger high above his head. "I make this sacrifice of her life and her blood for the peace and prosperity of my people so that they may know the joys of Kingdom of Salvation," He was then about to plunge the dagger into her throat when Marceline intervened. She caught the dagger and ripped it from Eugene's hand then pushed him to the ground. Marceline used the dagger to cut Fionna's binds and pulled the gag from her mouth. Marceline then jumped on Eugene before he had a chance to get up and pinned both his arms to the ground with knees while the knife was held close to Eugene's throat .

"What kind of person, no, what kind of father are you to willing sacrifice your daughter's life for anything?!" She shrieked as her voice cracked. It was taking every bit of her self-control to force her not to slit his throat because each time she looked at him, she saw the face of Hunson Abedeer, the monster who she once called Father. "As a father, you are supposed to love and protect your children, no matter," She ground her fangs together as tears streamed down her face. A thin line of red materialized along Eugene's neck as Marceline slowly pressed the knife into his neck. "You are not a father… you're …you're a Monster!"


End file.
